


Unlocking The Past

by SlashWriter2015



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Aurora Never Happened, Comfort, Human/Aquatic Mammal Hybrid, Kharra Bacterium, M/M, Multi, Planetary Quarantine Disabled, Precursors, fish AU, more tags tba, touch starved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23923984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlashWriter2015/pseuds/SlashWriter2015
Summary: How does one measure time? Is it through stories? Is it through experience? Is it through the memories we make? One small, insignificant creature had pondered that question his whole known life. Trapped in an aquatic prison, built long ago by a race he'd yet to meet. This is his story.
Relationships: TBA - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Imprisoned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Puppetmaster13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puppetmaster13/gifts).
  * Inspired by [10,000 Meters Under](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152087) by [Puppetmaster13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puppetmaster13/pseuds/Puppetmaster13). 



> This was heavily inspired by PuppetMaster13's work! I read their story and saw their artwork and just fell in love with the idea. I really wanted to do my own twist whilst also adding in a few well loved characters from another video game I LOVE! Thus this combo was born. Please enjoy, and as always, leave some love. Comments are something I look forward to and it helps the inspiration keep on rolling! I'm open to critics and your input as well. This is a short chapter, but it's kind of an introduction.

Five centuries. Almost two hundred thousand days, give or take. Years of waiting for someone to find him in his submerged prison. . .for someone to rescue him from his entrapment. Hours of swimming from wall to wall, biome to biome. Time had grown stagnant as days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, years to decades, decades to centuries. Huffing out a torrent of bubbles, he propels himself off the sandy bottom and swims along the floor of the shallow reef. Sand swirls from where his tail traces along the bottom, capturing the attention of the nearby fish as they sweep in and dine on the tiny crustaceans that he's just unearthed in his outburst. He knows he should be asleep by now, glancing up at the artificial moonlight shimmering down on him from some unseen source. A fit of nightmares had woken him though, leaving him panting and shivering as he had tried to bring his breathing under control. Pulling himself up along the steep ridge of a nearby coral bed, he sprawls himself out and blows out another torrent of bubbles in his anger. His captors had long since abandoned him to his fate, no longer popping in to watch him swim amongst the massive pool they'd built him. He faintly remembers long hours of being studied, he could see them watching him through the glass. He'd tried relentlessly to beg and plead for them to release him, but to no avail. No matter how long he followed their movements or pounded on the glass, his silent cries went unheard for so long that he'd simply given up trying. This was the only life he'd ever known, yet he knew there had to be more out there. Something beyond these walls. There had been someone, at one point, who'd talked to him regularly. She had been in the same situation as him, trapped behind a set of walls to be studied and tested on. He can barely remember her voice now, it has been so long. When their captors had simply vanished one day, they'd both been left wondering what had become of the strange beings who stood and watched them. Then eventually, she'd quit reaching out to him as well. For months he'd tried to connect with her, to reach out mentally and ask her where she'd gone. His questions went unanswered and he finally resolved himself to a life of solitude. Sure, he had the fish and the animals that had been placed inside with him, but their companionship was only good for so much for so long. How were you exactly suppose to bond with the very things you hunted and ate for sustenance? He'd forgotten how long it had been since he'd last had a conversation. Four hundred years? Four hundred fifty years? Sighing, he watches as a pair of Rabbit Rays swim above him. He listens to them chirp and whistle. . .at least they can communicate with one another. Digging his claws into the coral, he positions his legs just right and then launches himself off the reef and keens as the rays scatter in every which way. Gotta make your own fun, right? At least that's what he tells himself as he drifts there, suddenly finding himself bored again. Without much else to do, he swims along with the current until he makes his way to the nearest kelp forest. He watches as a pack of Stalkers move in and out of the tendrils of kelp, their eyes cautiously watching him. They're strong and can deal lethal blows, he knows this. He's seen them hunt down a many fully grown Gasopod before, the sight leaving him slightly nauseous each time. However, they know to equally avoid him as well lest they sport another battle scar from his razor sharp claws or his pointed fangs after getting too close for comfort. He bares his teeth, his markings flashing brightly as a deterrent. Ignoring their cautious glares, he propels himself down into the trench and tucks himself away into a large sandy crevice. It's there that he curls his knees close to his chest whilst wrapping his tail around his body protectively, listening to the Gasopods and their distant calls from somewhere within the massive enclosure. He smiles as a passing Peeper spots him, the curious fish darting inside and circling him several times as it tries to get a good look at him. He sucks in and suddenly blows out an onslaught of bubbles through his mouth and gills, silently laughing as the fish swims excitedly through the torrent of floating air. He grins as the fish chirps animatedly before swimming back into the kelp forest, likely joining a passing school of its own kind. Blinking, he sits there and watches as several prey fish pass his little alcove, oblivious to the hunter currently resting inside it. Alone with his thoughts, he finds himself watching the kelp move aimlessly in the current, his eyes beginning to droop more and more. Without much else to do and with another day of the same routine awaiting him, he finally surrenders himself to sleep for the second time that night.


	2. A New Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alterra needs a specialist and they have just the right man for the job in mind. However, will he have reservations about traveling to some unknown world? What new and strange beings await him there?

_“You're the best there is Gavin. . .the Federation needs your experience.” A pair of deep umber colored eyes stare at the man. . .no, android, across the table from him. A deep resounding bass pulsates in the air around them, a throng of bodies moving in the center of the club. Taking a slow drag from the drink he's been nursing all night, Gavin stares contemplatively at one of the men moving his body to the beat of the music in one of the dozen cages hovering just over the dance floor.  
_

_“Mr. Reed-”_

_“Is that what we've come to now?”  
_

_“I. . .don't understand what you mean?”  
_

_“Nothing Nines. Tell me though. . .is the pay decent?”  
_

_“It's reasonable for your typical rates,” Nines replies, taking a moment to straighten his tie as Gavin finishes his drink and slams the glass onto the marble table.  
_

_“Just tell me where to show up and what to bring,” Gavin replies, squinting his eyes through the burn of the drink.  
_

_“The Federation is appreciative of your-”_

_“Shut the fuck up tin-can and just call me when you're ready,” Gavin cuts him off, standing abruptly and moving to leave the club. Nines is left watching him, sighing heavily before standing himself and pushing his chair in before taking his leave._

“Mr. Reed, may I please advise you to sit back down and secure your restraints until we've come to a full stop?”

“Ah, shut the fuck up and leave me be,” Gavin remarks, ignoring the android at the helm and pushing his face into the glass to see the world outside. A strange, alien fish darts past the window, startling him out of his internal reverie. “Holy fuck,” he whispers, taking note of the large eye the fish is sporting. An eye that is currently peering into the window straight at him.

“That's a Peeper,” Gavin turns to see Nines standing behind him, his face awash in the same curiosity as his own.

“Who picked the fucking name?” the human asks, returning his attention back to the strange fish. 

“We figured it was an appropriate name given their curious nature and large eyes,” Nines replies, the android chuckling as the fish chirps loudly before swimming off into the blue abyss.

“Tell me more about Home Base. Tech guys up top only gave me the bare details,” Gavin asks, turning to sit back down in his seat as Nines returns to his own position across from him.

“Well, the base was established over six months ago. It comes equipped with a full kitchen, individual sleeping quarters, a greenhouse and a containment center for any alien life we may want to study.” Nines answers. Home Base was his pride and joy and Nines couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face at the thought.

“Why did Alterra need me then? It's got three of you tin-cans already running it, right?”

“Once again Gavin, I'll have to ask that you please refrain from such derogatory language. It's very unbecoming of you,” Nines scolds, furrowing his brow in agitation.

“Ya? Well I'll let you know when your opinion actually fucking matters to me,” Gavin barks back, smiling triumphantly when Nines pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Alterra sought you out due to your knowledge in alien biology and-”

“Nines, if you haven't noticed, my specialty is land based mammals. Have you looked around? We're surrounded by water!” 

Gavin eyes Nines as he stands up and procures a small orb from his jacket pocket before coming to sit next to him. He observes, intrigued, as the android messes with it before a large holographic image takes up his line of sight.

“Three weeks ago, we discovered this,” Nines smiles, pointing to what appears to be a large underwater facility. Gavin takes the orb from his assigned partner and zooms in on the facility, studying it for points of entry and trying to discern any other information that could be helpful. “It's alien in nature and our preliminary scans indicate that it's hollow inside. Alterra wanted your expertise in the event that we. . .come across anything inside,” Nines finishes, Gavin giving him a long side glance before offering the orb back.

“This aught to be exciting,” Gavin mutters.

“I surely hope it will be,” Nines remarks, looking off in the distance at nothing in particular.

Later That Night

Gavin sighs as he walks into his bedroom quarters, hair still wet from his recent shower. Hanging his towel, he walks over and flops onto his bed dramatically and curls in on himself. Earlier introductions had bored him to tears, leaving him more agitated than he'd been before. Glancing up at the ceiling of his room, he can’t help but admire the view. Moonlight shimmers down from the surface, casting a milky glow over him. He admires the fish darting in and out of view, their strange chirps makes him smile and brings him comfort. He'd always loved the ocean. The sound of the waves, the feeling of the water on his body, the strange and beautiful creatures that lived inside it. The thought of it all begins to lull him to sleep, his eyes drooping closed as the seconds ticked by. The natural lullaby wins him over and he finds himself dead to the world as sleep takes over and his soft snores begin to fill the room.

_“What. . .are. . .you?”_

**Author's Note:**

> Leave some love y'all!


End file.
